Granby, C.O. – After higher-than-expected 2021 electric sales, the MPE Board of Directors recently approved its 2022 operating budget, which includes no electric rate increase for its consumers. At its November 11 meeting, the Board approved a bill credit, waiving the December service availability charge for all members.
“At a time when natural gas, propane and gasoline prices are on the rise, it’s gratifying to keep electric rates stable,” said MPE General Manager Mark Johnston. According to Johnston, reductions in internal operating costs, increased electric sales and cost savings from purchasing power all played a role in avoiding a rate increase, despite increases in labor costs, benefits and significant system investments. MPE’s investments are focused on making the grid smarter and more resilient.
“Providing reliable, affordable and increasingly renewable energy are our primary objectives," Johnston added.
Over the past 12 months, MPE has provided electricity with 99.9 percent reliability, equating to an average outage time per consumer of 128 minutes – despite the mountainous terrain, wet, heavy snows and the challenges of maintaining power lines through forested lands. Over the same time frame, MPE online survey data reveals a customer satisfaction rating of 9.3 on a scale of 1 to 10.